Centre of HOPE

The “Centres of HOPE” idea is the framework which is helping us organize and develop our work. This idea was pioneered in the Village of HOPE from the earliest days of our work. It has been refined in city of Bhuj, at the epicenter of the Gujarat earthquake. It developed further through the opening of the “Divya Orphanage” and Richard family Centre of HOPE in Trichy, Tamilnadu. And Centres of HOPE now are fully operational in multiple tsunami-affected communities, and being developed in many other locations around India.

What is a “Centre of HOPE”?

It is not necessarily a building, or a specific location. It is rather a collection of programs, integrated together to serve the poor and needy in a specific community.Centres of HOPE often have satelitte “mini-centres” where similar activities are carried out. The Tharangambadi “Centre of HOPE”, for example, has satellites in Chinnakudi (a school) as well as Nagapattinam town (for vocational training). Centres of HOPE tend to focus on HOPE worldwide’s longstanding areas of competency and activity: children, education, health, employability, and outreach. Different centres have different mixes of these components, depending on local needs as well as donor priorities.

What are the advantages of a “Centre of HOPE”?

• It provides a focal point for community development, transformation and empowerment, bringing together volunteers, donors, staff and clients (the poor and needy). The Wilhelm Hamm Centre of HOPE in Pudupattinam, for example, offers education, training, health care, as well as providing housing for volunteers and a community hall for local empowerment.
• It is a nodal point where training and capacity building can occur for local development, as well as scaling-up and replication of effective practices.
• It provides a structured environment for volunteers to effectively help the poor, who upon returning to their nations bring other resources and partners into the HOPE worldwide circle of friends.
• It is a place of encouragement, where an atmosphere of hope and faith infuses all who come into contact with the centre. This encourages the poor and ensures that HOPE worldwide.

 

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